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Toddler Injury - The Bruise That Just Won't Heal

published on June 14, 2013

About the Blog

WhatToExpect.com supports Word of Mom as a place to share stories and highlight the many perspectives and experiences of pregnancy and parenting. However, the opinions expressed in this section are those of individual writers and do not reflect the views of Heidi Murkoff of the What to Expect brand.

I have spent much time concerned about a toddler injury this week, (ok, in my mind it is really an infant injury, I just can't refer to Scarlett as a toddler in my mind, but we're going for accuracy) Early last week Scarlett took a header into a toy piano, she hit a blunt edge and used her face to break her fall. She was sporting a black dime sized bruise the next morning. Not a serious toddler injury by any means and nothing for much concern at first. I figured it would go away in a couple of days. Each day when Scarlett woke up I looked at the bruise for signs of change, only to find none. I couldn't understand it. I expected it to turn purple and yellow and finally just go away. It has done nothing of the sort though.

The lack of change is what made me start to worry. I began to wonder if facial bruises just take longer to heal, but Boston has many a facial bruise and it always healed in a couple of days, even if it took a week at least there was color change happening so you knew there was progress each day. I worried that it would never go away and one childhood injury would cause a black blemish on her face right on the apple of her cheek for the rest of her life. (Obviously I am super rational, dang pregnancy hormones) I was devastated that her sweet face was going to be marred by something so simple. I wanted to call the doctor to ask what he thought, but seriously, who calls the doctor for a little bruise? Severe falls with a smack of the head to the tile seem more like the toddler injury you call the doctor for, not a little bruise that won't go away. I tried just googling it, this only increased my fears. All these sites of blood disorders and bruising as a sign of cancer. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

I keep talking to myself saying, Self, RELAX, you are getting excited for nothing. But I have trouble talking back, WHO HAS A BRUISE THAT STAYS BLACK FOR A WEEK?!? I worry and worry and make myself sick and try constantly not to worry about it. I decided to give it a few more days before I called the doctor to ask his opinion. It has been a week now and tonight, finally, I see tinges of yellow in the bruise. At least that is an improvement and proof of progress.

Have any of you ever seen this happen? Has your child had a very mild toddler injury that turned into a bruise that just wouldn't go away? Have you yourself had a bruise that just stayed black instead of changing colors for days? Tell me this is normal and not to worry. Vain as it is, I really don't want a permanent black mark on Scarlett's face.